'Doctor Strange' actor Zara Phythian & husband Victor jailed for abusing minor

Actor Zara Phythian, known for her work in the Hollywood film Doctor Strange, was earlier accused of sexually abusing a minor girl. A woman accused Pythian and her husband Victor Marke of having sex with her over a period of a few years when she was 13 years old, over 15 years ago.  While the matter reached the court in April 2022 with Phythian and Marke dismissing the woman's accusations against them, the verdict of the case recently arrived revealing that the couple has been jailed for 8 eight years. 

'Doctor Strange' actor Zara Phythian & husband Victor jailed

According to the reports by BBC News, it was recently revealed that the Doctor Strange actor Zara Phythian and her husband Victor Marke have been sentenced to eight years of prison for being guilty of sexually abusing a 15-year-old-girl. The reports further stated that the couple was arrested. While Phythian has been charged for eight years, her husband Marke was sentenced to 14 years in prison. While announcing the verdict, the judge mentioned that while Zara was involved in the crime, Victor was the "driving force behind the abuse." It was also revealed that Marke even trained Zara into committing the sexual abuse,. 

"Whilst you denied in cross-examination that you were besotted with Victor Marke, on the evidence I have heard I am in no doubt that your deviance was shaped by the influence that he had upon you from an early age," the judge told Phythian. 

Soon after the verdict came out, Senior investigating officer Parminder Dhillon released a statement in which he thanked the two victims who showed great courage in coming forward and talking about their ordeal. The statement read, “I want to thank the two victims who have showed great courage in coming forward and talking about their ordeal. Although no punishment handed down by a court can undo the lifelong damage caused to them, I do hope they take some degree of comfort from the knowledge that justice has now been done."

Zara Phythian, as per a report on Nottinghamshire Post, and her husband allegedly abused the then minor from 2005 to 2008. The woman, who is an adult now, has accused the couple of indulging her with alcohol and also claimed that they recorded some of their sexual encounters with the then minor. The woman approached the police over the incidents. She told the officials that she knew 'it was wrong', but did not how to get out of the situation. The woman also claimed that the couple would indulge in games like 'truth or dare' after which she'd be asked to perform a sexual act on Marke. 

Image: Doctor Strange movie still/Marvel Studios